The video games you may have missed in 2024
Nine Sols is a robust 2D action-platformer from Taiwanese studio Red Candle Games. It features an exquisite “taopunk” aesthetic, with a vivid sci-fi world constructed from bamboo, jade, steel, and microchips. Ultros is a psychedelic sci-fi platformer where you study and grow alien flora aboard a labyrinthine spaceship.
The goal is escape, but you may never want to leave the strange, bioluminescent garden you cultivate. Manor Lords is an unexpected breakout hit that mixes economic management and city survival with historical authenticity. Updates have been slow, but there’s no denying the meditative romance of shepherding a medieval hamlet.
SteamWorld Heist II proves that two dimensions needn’t feel flat. You can explore the world in your submarine, but nothing beats the joy of lining up shots to send laser beams ricocheting around rooms.
Video games you missed in 2024
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl is a satisfying mix of horror and shooting, with a huge open world and branching narratives. It’s the result of 15 years of work, made more remarkable as the Ukrainian developers have become caught up in a real-world war. The Crush House is a “thirst person shooter” set inside a 1999 Big Brother-type production.
You play as the producer whose dream job takes a sinister turn in this send-up of reality shows and society’s appetite for content. Frostpunk 2 doesn’t quite strike the same chilling, thrilling chords as its predecessor, but it’s still an incredibly compulsive evolution of the survival and city-builder genres. Peglin is more than just “Peggle as a roguelike.” You battle monsters by dropping magic orbs into a pachinko machine, and nothing beats blowing up a giant ooze with a lightning ball after popping hundreds of pegs.
Braid, Anniversary Edition shows this intelligent, puzzle-solving, time-bending platformer is still one of the best ever made, with improved graphics, remixed sound, new levels, and a unique developer commentary. Kill Knight piles on the complexity for twin-stick shooters, with ranged and melee combat, special attacks, and a brilliant reload system. It’s dense but surprisingly approachable mayhem with beautiful death metal stylings.
Rashan is a seasoned technology journalist and visionary leader serving as the Editor-in-Chief of DevX.com, a leading online publication focused on software development, programming languages, and emerging technologies. With his deep expertise in the tech industry and her passion for empowering developers, Rashan has transformed DevX.com into a vibrant hub of knowledge and innovation. Reach out to Rashan at [email protected]
